Rants, reasoning, resolutions & other randomness from this journey of life

Category Archives: Crafts & DIY Projects

Tested right in my kitchen so you don’t have to worry about any of those embarrassing Pinterest fails, these DIY Valentine’s Day treats are pretty fool-proof and are fun, easy, and made with basic supplies that you probably already have in your kitchen. From bacon bouquets for the hubbies to sweetheart barks for the kiddos, these sweet family treats not only make great gifts but are fun to make together. Because making holiday memories shouldn’t be stressful, it should be fun!

Pin it for future Valentine’s Days, Sweetest Days, Anniversaries or any other holidays. These DIY’s can easily be altered to use any other holiday color or candy so Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc. are just as easy!

Bacon Bouquet

I started making these for my husband a few years ago and it’s still a favorite gift for him for Valentine’s Day. They’re super simple too!

Start with a pack of your favorite type of bacon.

Roll up each slice and secure the bottoms with toothpicks in a criss-cross so they will stand up while cooking (I put the fattier side on the bottom so you get a good red tone on the flower top.

Line each bacon roll on a baking rack (This will keep them from being too soggy if they sit in their own grease while cooking).

Bake per package instructions for your particular type of bacon. (Mine is 400-degrees for 20-30 minutes)

Let them cool and then skewer each rosette with wooden skewers through the center of each “rose”. You can also use toothpicks, or actual flower stems (which you can get from any florist).

Add in a few leafy greens like kale, fresh dill, celery tops, etc to give it a more realistic look

Arrange them in a vase or wrap in tissue paper & tada! You did it! And the hubby is going to LOVE it!

You can also add some dipping sauces to the gift. Some of my favorites are pepper jellies, barbecue sauces or maple syrup.

Sweetheart Bark

This is a fun treat to make with the kids’ help and also a great idea of something they can give to their teachers or classmates. This is another one of those DIY’s that you can change to accommodate the occasion. You can change up the type of candies used to whatever colors or flavors you like and recreate this recipe on other holidays like Halloween, Christmas, or any other day of the year.

Start with 2 packages of candy melts or almond bark. (Almond Bark is usually available in Chocolate or Vanilla flavor and you may be able to get melting candy chips in an assortment of colors at any given time of the year).

Pour each color of the melted candy onto a parchment covered cookie sheet alternating the areas you pour each color. (You don’t have to follow any sort of pattern you just want it the colors to be able to be mixed together. Spread it so it’s an even layer.

Using a butter knife, slide it around from color to color to create a swirling pattern in candy.

While the bark is still melted, sprinkle it with all of your favorite candies, spell out names, letters, words. Basically do whatever you like.

Let it set (you can speed up the process by refrigerating it too).

Once it’s completely hardened, break it into pieces. Think palm-sized or smaller.

Toss a few pieces into a gift baggie and tie it off with a nice Valentine’s colored ribbon and a message tag and you’ve got some sweet treats ready to gift!

Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

What’s better than a warm cinnamon roll topped with ooey gooey icing? A heart-shaped one. These were one of my favorites this year. Not just because they pair perfectly with my morning cup of coffee but because these heart-shaped cinnamon rolls are super easy to make and you don’t even have to start them from scratch. These are a treat you can easily make the morning of so you don’t even have to get up hours earlier than usual to do it.

Start with a roll of Cinnamon Rolls. You can use any you like really as long as they’re actually rolls because we’re going to need to unroll them. (I used these Pillsbury Grands Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls when I’ve made them):

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees

Pop open the can and separate each roll from the log

Carefully unwind each roll into a long strip

Coil the ends in towards the center and then pinch the bottom into a point. Like this:

Any chunks of cinnamon that come off can be added back into the new nooks and crannies.

You can use the icing that’s included with the rolls or you can mix it with some of those pink candy melts I mentioned in the previous DIY and add Valentine’s Day sprinkles to give them an even more lovey-dovey look. Either way, they’re delish.

Individual Valentine’s Day Candies

Another super simple DIY you could try this year are your own chocolates and candies or suckers in love-themed shapes.

Just purchase a candy mold online or at your grocery/craft store and use the candy melts similar to the bark recipe above. I like these silicone heart molds and these heart shaped lollipop molds. (And with 28 heart molds you can knock out a whole class worth of treats in one step!)

After melting the candy, fill each mold with it and let it set up. (If you’re doing suckers you’ll want to add your sucker sticks to the molds before filling them – I used these lollipop sticks that were only $1.75 for 25!)

You could also insert nuts or fruits into them after pouring them into the molds to give them a little extra something-something.

Once it’s completed hardened, remove them from the mold and add to your favorite candy dish or package them up into gift baggies with a nice ribbon and card.

Valentine Candy Covered Pretzel Rods

Here’s another great idea that’s fun for the kids to help with and perfect for classroom Valentine’s Day snacks! These were a hit for my daughter’s teachers this year and class snack.

Buy Candy melts/chocolate in your choice of colors/flavors & Your choice of pretzels. (We used rods and classic minis for their heart shape).

Melt in microwave-safe bowl according to package instructions

Dip one side of a large pretzel rod into the melted candy (or half of a heart-shaped pretzel – whichever kind you’re using).

Roll the candy-dipped end of the pretzel in nuts, sprinkles, candies, etc – whatever you choose.

Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet so they can dry and harden

Once hardened you can add them to a decorated mason jar or individual gift baggies with a cute ribbon or card to make a perfect gift. Or just place them on a tray or bowl and set them out for party style serving.

Be sure to let me know how these turned out for you if you decide to give any of these ideas a try! You can follow along on Facebook for more great ideas at Happy Wife Happy Life

It’s been a stressful week. Busy shopping week means busy work week with my writing job. (And the work schedule is not very conducive to Adri’s school schedule anyway). Then peak-order season with the gift shop (Which I’m definitely not complaining about…I just wish I’d have had more time to add some new items to the shop before now). And with a million other things to do around the house, to say I’m frazzled would be putting it mildly. Time always goes so fast and there’s never enough of it to do what you want.

Today was Adri’s Thanksgiving “feast” at school. And even though she was late (because of a mixup over when I should bring her since it wasn’t one of her regular school days), she made it – and with her pineapple contribution in tow. So there’s that at least.

But after having to go back home and work more before going back to the school for the feast, I had barely enough time to put myself together and definitely not enough time to shower first. I broke a bra and broke a nail in my haste…And I was still a few minutes late.

She didn’t mind though. She was excited to see me and have me try the fruit salad and buttered rolls they made this morning. (And it was yummy).

After eating and playing for a bit I had hope return thinking I could salvage some of the plans after all. The morning may have been a disaster but we could still make her teachers a nice, crafty, thank-you gift tonight to give them tomorrow at school…Until I was reminded when we were leaving that Adri doesn’t have school again until next week.

Defeated, I sighed when we got into the car to leave school and head to the grocery and said, “I’m sorry, monkey. I wish I could’ve been there for your whole day at school again like Halloween and that we weren’t always so rushed, but Mommy is just a bit of a mess lately”. Without hesitation she replied, “It’s okay mommy. We all have messes sometimes. I love you and your da best mommy”.

I could’ve broke down, but God knows if I did right now it might not stop. Sometimes I’m not really sure what I’m doing; Feeling pulled in a million directions and I think I’m doing everything wrong. But it’s little reassurances like that that tell me I must be doing something right.

I may have plenty of other things in mind that I want to do, but sometimes there’s just not enough time. And I have to remember that that’s ok. That my house work may get a little behind (or a lot) when I’m working two jobs and momming. And that sometimes our dinner won’t be completely homemade…or even semi-homemade for that matter. And that’s ok.

The important thing is that we are laughing together in our slightly (or extremely) messy house. That we are together enjoying our homemade, semi-homemade or not-at-all-homemade dinners together, that we’re always there for her when she needs us, and that her daddy and I love her bigger than the sky. Through grief, through chaos, through it all. That’s what it’s all about.

…And just to keep me from being too wishy-washy all day, she was a total ass in the grocery store afterward, So I guess it’s also about balance. 😜

But I am so thankful for the blessings in life (even the ones that don’t always seem like blessings at first). I appreciate the crazy, busy weeks. And I am so grateful for my family and for the love of this sweet little girl who, even at under the age of 4, understands that life can get chaotic, but it’s okay. As long as we have each other, it’s okay. And when we focus on that, it’s more than okay. It’s great. Chaotic, messy, busy, hopeful, fun, full of love, running-late, great. And if we can’t get all of that greatness to fit into one day, we’ll be hopeful, grateful, and blessed to be given tomorrow to give it another shot.

So in case I don’t get a chance to say it later this week when things are even more chaotic: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope your blessings are more than you can count…But I hope you’ll take a minute to stop and try to count them anyway.

“The hard part isn’t the first step, or the second step [on the way towards your goal]. It’s the 5th, 6th and 7th steps when you’re in so deep you forget why you took that initial step in the first place. The middle of the tunnel, when you left the light behind you but you can’t yet see it in front of you either. When you have to trust that whatever ‘insane’ notion came over you to take the first step is still worth it now that you don’t see where it’s headed anymore. That’s the hard part of doing something big/great. It’s when you’re halfway up the mountain and you’re too far up to turn back but you can’t see the summit camp yet.”

9. Nine years. I am not sure how nine years of marriage have gone by so fast! 13 years together, A baby who is almost 3, And NINE years of marriage.

You can see a lot of ups and downs in 9 years; Share many laughs and tears. Adventures and lazy ways, Sunshine and cloudy days. Tough times and a riding high; I’ll take it all if you’re by my side. My rock, my reason, and my rhyme. You’re still the one after all this time. Be it good or bad we’re in it together. I love you today, tomorrow & forever…Forever & ever amen. #MyLobster

Aww he loves me ☺️

Also I noticed that the symbol of the ninth anniversary is pottery. Do you think this counts? 😁

A new throne for the King lol

Just kidding…Well kinda. We did need to get a new toilet because as you’ve likely seen on prior posts, this home renovation stuff just never ends. Hopefully by our 10th anniversary we will have it wrapped up lol.

With all the money tied up in our new house, Christmas was a bit difficult this year. I was facing a challenge of gifting from the heart on a super tight budget and also decorating the house. So this year I decided to go homemade for the holidays. After all, when you’re in the middle of a total renovation property and raising a toddler, time is the most valuable thing you have to offer, right? I loved some of these items so much I decided to add them to my Etsy shop too!

MASON JAR SOAP DISPENSERS

I loved the way these turned out. It took a little engineering to construct the lids but these pint jars went from simple to shabby chic thanks to that, some chalk paint & glaze, and a little distressing. I made them in a weathered gray, ivory and went a little bold with a turquoise one for my own bathroom.

Mason Jar Soap Dispensers by The Write Side of Life

Gray Mason Jar Soap Dispensers by The Write Side of Life

Gray Mason Jar Soap Dispensers by The Write Side of Life

Turquoise Mason Jar Soap Dispensers by The Write Side of Life

Turquoise Mason Jar Soap Dispensers by The Write Side of Life

You can also order these in my Tulip Garden Gifts Etsy shop by clicking here.

FAMILY BIRTHDAY BOARD

I LOVE how this turned out. I started with a basic board and did a crackle paint finish then stenciled and added the hardware. This was for my husband’s grandmother and there were lots of names to add so I color-coded all the tags. The color of each name and birthdate represented either her children (or one of their spouses), her grandchildren (or one of their spouses), or her great-grandchildren.

Family Birthday Board by The Write Side of Life

SPECKLED COFFEE MUG SETS

A few years ago I made gift baskets for some of our family members with spiced nuts and a homemade cocoa mixes and coffee mugs and other goodies. I wanted to do something similar but within my budget and a bit more personalized. I meet with my grandmother and her Dutch friends every Tuesday and didn’t want to forget these beautiful women who I now consider very good friends as well. After stenciling and dotting the mugs I baked them to set the paint so that they could be washable. Then I made a hot cocoa mix with spices and dark chocolate shavings and marshmallows and added a small bottle of Bailey’s to each cup.

Speckle Initial Coffee Mug by The Write Side of Life {Tulip Garden Gifts}

Personalized Coffee Mugs by The Write Side of Life.I even made a set for The Hub and I ❤

Personalized Coffee Mugs by The Write Side of Life – Available in Etsy Shop @ Tulip Garden Gifts

Personalized Coffee Mugs by The Write Side of Life – Available in Etsy Shop @ Tulip Garden Gifts

Personalized Coffee Mugs by The Write Side of Life – Available in Etsy Shop @ Tulip Garden Gifts

Personalized Coffee Mugs by The Write Side of Life – Available in Etsy Shop @ Tulip Garden Gifts

These are also available to order in the Etsy shop (sans the alcohol) by clicking here.

RECIPE / PICTURE HOLDER

This was definitely one of the more unique items I made this year. It took a bit of engineering to come up with a proper design but once I assembled the right components I realized how functional this could be. I used a cabinet face stained in a walnut finish and applied a coat of chalk paint just enough to give it a pale weathered look. I assembled a base and added a decorative topper all painted to match and then added a simply decorated clip to the front. The base also doubles as a stand so that if you are using, say, an iPad to read a recipe from you can prop it up on there as well. And when it’s not being used to read recipes, it makes a great and unique picture holder as well! 🙂

Some crafts are just not cheap to make. These were on the pricier side of the projects I made this year but, they are just so beautiful. There are so many different combinations and colors if I could afford it, I’d have made one for every room of my own house too. Maybe someday. 😉

This is a really neat gift for anyone tied to a certain state or area. After staining and sealing the wood, I outlined the state and used copper tacks and thread to create a unique wall hanging. But perhaps the sweetest touch of this gift is that the heart encircles where they live. Awww. I know right! 😉

I have seen some cute crafty dreamcatchers made out of doilies online and got the idea to make a dreamcatcher for my sister. For this I just used a needlepoint ring and crocheted the dreamcatcher part. I sort of made up the pattern as I went based on how big I wanted each loop to be. To finish it I just braided some yard and added a few feathers I picked up at the craft store. (Sorry, I didn’t take a picture of the finished product).

Crocheted Dreamcatcher by The Write Side of Life

RIBBON LOOP CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATION

This was something I was going to attempt in a set of three but to be honest it just took waaaay too much time and glue this way so I aborted this one and just let this one hang out on its own on our mantel during the holidays. If you’re going to attempt this one, instead of using thin ribbon and glueing them together then to the cone individually, you can save yourself a lot of time by using thick ribbon and folding it over then cut slits into it. It’ll give you the same look.

With the holiday rush, renovations, and a 2nd birthday party to plan I’m a little late with my holiday post. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and new year!

As you may know, my sister and I love to get the kids together before most holidays and have a craft day. Not only does it give us some really cute keepsakes of their childhood but we usually come up with some pretty good gift ideas for the grandparents too! 🙂 If you’re new to the blog or missed it, here are some from holidays passed:

This year we let the kiddos put their stamp on several new ideas and they turned out great! Take a look…

We made these cute fingerprint wreath ornaments…

Fingerprint wreath christmas ornament | The Write Side of Life

These cute fingerprint bulb coffee mugs…

Fingerprint bulbs coffee mug | The Write Side of Life

These really sweet fingerprint bulb picture frames…

Fingerprint bulb picture frame | The Write Side of Life

And these adorable Christmas tree cookie plates…

Handprint Christmas Tree Cookie Plate | The Write Side of Life

Needless to say I was also on a pretty tight budget this year when it came to gift-giving with the new money-pit house and all. Still, I didn’t want to turn that into cheap, meaningless gifts for the friends & family so I decided to make most of the gifts myself. After all, when you’re knee-deep in renovations and busy chasing a 2-year old one of the most expensive gifts you can give is your time right? Can’t wait to share them with you!! I’ll be posting a round up of some of the things I came up with so stay tuned! 🙂

Craft supplies are expensive. That’s not the point of this post. Just a point I want to iterate…and then reiterate. Craft supplies are expensive. Okay, now on to the point…

Adriana and I spent the day out shopping yesterday for Christmas craft and gift supplies. I got her her own Christmas little tree to decorate in hopes that it’ll dissuade her from touching the big one too much. We’ll see.

I was too eager to wait for the weekend to start anything so I made a burlap wreath last night…

My Burlap & Lace Wreath

I decided to add them to my Etsy shop too so if you’re interested you can order here.

Another project I’ve been wanting to accomplish at the new house was our bedroom furniture. We bought a nice cherry suite years ago and it was beautiful when our room was full of amber and red colors but when I changed the decor to a more natural palette and added teal to the mix, the cherry furniture just seemed to clash. I had an idea of what I wanted to do and set out to get chalk paint. I was at several stores searching for Annie Sloan paint before finally giving up. Both Home Depot and Michael’s now carry a brand of chalk paint called Americana Decor so I decided to give that a try instead.

After prepping a pot roast and tucking her into the oven to cook all day, I set in and started with the nightstand. I didn’t take an actual before picture so you’ll just have to go with what I could find lol.

I think it turned out pretty good.

And here’s the big dresser.

So much brighter!

Like I said, it wasn’t bad before but was just too dark and red for the bedroom now. I was going to sand and stain the top a color like the floor but The Hub liked the whole thing the same color so that’s what I did…

I love it!

Nightstand details

The color I used for this project was ‘Whisper’. After applying the first coat I spot checked for areas that needed a second coat. I wanted to let some of the original darkness come through to aid in the weathered look so I didn’t do a full second coat overall. Once the second coated areas were dry, I applied the clear wax and then went over and gently sanded some areas (like corners and edges) with a fine-grit sand paper. From there I added a bit of dark wax to some of the distressed areas and then just sealed them all over again with clear wax.

I couldn’t be happier with the way the pieces turned out. And as far as the paint, I have no complaints. It was great to work with, dried quickly and seems pretty tough once waxed. If you’ve never used chalk paint before, just be warned that it dries very quickly so you want to keep moving and move steadily (especially when painting a larger surface) so it doesn’t start to dry on you and leave streaks or unevenness where you left off). Of course if you’re applying more than one coat then you can always blend it back in with your additional coat(s). I am always leery when painting a piece without sanding and priming first but only time will tell. Although another good thing about this distressed look is that even if it gets a little more beat up than my intended distressing, it probably will only continue to make the piece look good. Win/win! 😉

I have a wooden jewelry armoire that I am planning to paint a more vibrant color soon too so stay tuned for that!

Nowadays everything is distressed. You buy new furniture to look old. It’s like that oxymoron with the kids and jeans that became main stream years ago. I love the look of weathered, time worn, distressed furniture. Shabby chic, rustic and antiquated all set a charming and often romantic mood to a room. It was one of the things I was looking forward to doing more when we bought our new house project.

One of the few features to the house that was reusable was some old fencing. The previous owner had it shamefully blocking a beautiful view of the back of the property and it was horribly overgrown with weeds. But I knew the moment we took it down what I wanted to do with it…

Voila! Our new headboard! 🙂

This was before I added the lights. It’s cute enough like this but I had some lights in mind…

We had to replace a missing board from another panel and added one to each side to box it in so the wiring would be nicely concealed in the back. After a trip to the local home improvement store to buy a couple wall sconces and some wiring so they could be mounted and inconspicuously plugged in behind the headboard, the lights are on (and more importantly, yes, they work)!

The lights on (and working) and, aside from a few accents and pillows, it’s done! I originally was going to do some burlap pendants with a message spelled on them but decided this plaque said everything already 🙂

We have been spending so much time renovating that I haven’t been able to spend any time repurposing. It’s been one thing after another and every time we start to one renovation project it leads to two more and more and more delays. Renovation work is not for the impatient or ill-tempered that’s for sure. It seems nothing goes smoothly. So today I needed this…If not for anything else but to merely maintain my sanity. This was one of the projects I was really excited about.

There’s still some other accents (and accent pillows) I’ll add later but for now it’s a new (and old) headboard that incorporates this house and also us. And what’s even better is it only costed what I have in the lights and wiring. (The sign was a gift from my mama several years ago). I originally planned on spelling out a nice message on a burlap pendant banner across it but for now I think this plaque says it all. 🙂

There was also some cute white picket fencing that I salvaged and plan on using in our guest room…but that’s a project that’ll have to wait a bit longer. I at least got my fix to hold me over as we continue renovations on the rest of the house.